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FRUSTRATED. Sister Glenda Monroy of the Angelic Sisters of St Paul said she attended the rally because she is frustrated with the government. Photo by Martin San Diego/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines – Among the crowd full of placards and protesters, nuns and priests clad in their religious garb showed strength in numbers at the rally in Rizal Park on Thursday, September 21.

Coming from different religious orders, they all shouted for the same cause – to stop the spate of killings. If the need arises, members of the Church said they are ready to occupy the streets to continue the call for justice.

Sister Glenda Monroy of the Angelic Sisters of St Paul in Marikina City said she is always ready to protest against the abuses of the current administration.

(We need to send the message across by attending and joining (rallies) for our voices to be heard, hopefully, to correct what needs to be corrected because he was given the mandate of the people.)

The violent campaign against illegal drugs has already claimed at least 3,500 lives in police operations alone. Various reports by media and rights groups have put the number of drug-related deaths at around 12,000 deaths – including those allegedly killed by vigilantes. (READ: Things to know: Human rights in the Philippines).

Marquez said they will not be deterred and will always fight for the common good.

"Basta para sa katotohanan, para sa katarungan, para sa pagtigil sa kamatayan na walang saysay. (Anything for the truth, for justice, and for an end to senseless killings)," he said.

Address the root causes

STOP THE KILLINGS. Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross braved the rain in Luneta to protest against extrajudicial killings. Photo by Martin San Diego/Rappler

Holding placards that read "Rise up! Stop EJKs!" and "Kill no more! Stop the killings!" Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross (MMHC) priests said they came to the rally to demand an end to the killings.

Father Pio Herrera of the MMHC said the Duterte administration should look at alternative solutions to the drug war instead.

"He chops off what's on the surface and not the root causes of the problem," Herrera said in a mix of English and Filipino.

"If he addresses the problem on livelihood and education, then the poor will not have to be runners or even take drugs," he added.

At the Luneta, several organizations from youth, sectoral, militant, and church groups condemned Duterte's alleged acts of tyranny and the spate of extrajudicial killings in the capital and other parts of the country.

The President declared Thursday a "National Day of Protest" and suspended classes in public schools and work in government offices across the Philippines.

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Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves).